House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Wednesday, Nov. 3 welcomed the filing of a petition seeking to disqualify former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from the presidential race in 2022.
A fierce critic of the Marcos family, Zarate lauded the petitioners, reportedly human rights victims during the martial law era, for their bid to stop Marcos from pursuing the presidency.
The petitioners claimed that Marcos Jr. is not eligible to run for any public office since the Quezon City Regional Trial Court convicted him in 1995 for his failure to file income tax.
Zarate said the former senator “should not be allowed to get away with further deceiving the Filipino people, using their plundered riches.” Marcos’ campaign headquarters assailed the petition as a “predictable nuisance” that will be addressed at the proper time and forum.
“Until then, we will refrain from commenting on their propaganda. Our camp does not engage in gutter politics. Our campaign is about nation building,” said Marcos camp spokesman lawyer Victor Rodriguez
In a press statement, Zarate accused Marcos of using money allegedly plundered during the time of his father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, to finance his presidential campaign.
"As it is based on the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) report, as of August 2021, the Marcoses have at least P125,983,539,469.39 assets and properties under litigation. They also have P54,716,643,064.08 assets and properties still up for privatization," said Zarate.
"Our country can never be rebuilt by someone who actively participated in and benefited by its destruction. Tama na! (Stop it). Never again should this impunity come to pass,” the opposition solon said.